42 
LITERATURE. 
British Fungus Flora* 
After an interval of twenty-one years since the publication of the 
“ Handbook of British Fungi,” it cannot be considered inopportune 
to issue a new my cologic flora for these islands, the ground 
covered by Stevenson in his “ British Fungi,” and by Cooke in the 
second edition of the first part of the 11 Handbook,” not being one- 
fourth of the whole. True it is that the Discomycetes were ably 
expounded by Mr. W. Phillips, and the Hypodermei by Dr. Plow- 
right, but still not less than one-half of the total number of species 
of British Fungi were left outside. In this juncture Mr. Massee has 
come forward with a complete guide to all the fungi hitherto found 
in the British Islands, arranged in accordance with the views of the 
most recent authorities. The volume before us is one of three, in 
which it is announced that the whole work is to be contained, 
although we beg to doubt the possibility of such an achievement, 
since the first volume includes only the larger part of the Basidio- 
mycetes. 
The first feature which will impress the student on opening this 
volume will be the topsy-turvy arrangement, which is evidently 
original. There are people who will to the last resist any departure 
from the old lines, even when departure would be justifiable. On 
the other hand there are others whose love of variety is so great 
that they cannot resist the impulse of change, whether justifiable or 
not, so long as it is novel. Some people have credited the writer 
of this review with belonging to the first of the above classes, and 
the writer of the book under notice as associated with the latter 
class. If such an estimate be a true one it must be admitted that 
we must agree to differ, but we fancy that there is exaggeration on 
both sides. As for ourselves we think, for many reasons, that 
changes in classification and arrangement should not be made 
without good and sufficient cause, especially in works intended for 
the use of students. Hence we vote for the maximum of lucidity, 
with the minimum of complexity, for the maintenance, as far as 
possible, of old custom and tradition, but modified, and brought 
into harmony and consistency with the suggestions of experience 
and the revelations of modern science. 
In the “ British Fungus Flora ” the first place falls to the 
Gastromycetes , the second to the Hymenomycetes in this first 
volume, and we are led to ask — wherefore ? Hitherto a reverse 
order has been adopted, and if changed, such a change should have 
as its basis a good and substantial reason. In the preface we fail 
to discover either alleged reason or apology. Passing on to the 
* “ British Fungus Flora,” a classified text-book of Mycology, by Geo. 
Massee, in three vols. Vol. i., Basidiomycetes. London: Bell and Sons. 
1892. 
